In a video tape cartridge as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a case body 1 is provided with a front lid 6 which is movable between a closed position for covering the front face of a video tape 2 existing on the front portion of the case body 1 when the video tape cartridge is not used and an opened position upon mounting on the video tape recorder, where the video tape can be drawn out of the case body 1 by tape loading members provided on the video tape recorder entering in the case body from below passing through a pocket 15 defined in the bottom of the case body 1.
In the video tape cartridge of the kind described above, dust or the like may enter inside the case body 1 through the pocket 15, it is required to prevent dust or the like from fitting on the video tape 2. For this purpose, a dust cover 16 is provided on the back of the front lid 6 so as to enclose the video tape 2 therebetween when the video tape is not used.
Said dust cover 16 is rotatably connected to the front lid 6 through a connecting shaft 17 as shown in FIG. 5 so as to co-operate with the rotational movement of the front lid 6. More specifically, when the front lid 6 is in the closed position, the dust cover 16 is situated in the closed position as shown in the real lines in FIG. 5. Upon movement of the front lid 6 towards the opened position, said dust cover 16 is rotated around the shaft 17, with the movement of the guide shaft 19 slidingly shifted along a guide slot 20 formed in the outer face of the case body 1, whereby finally the front lid 6 and the dust cover 16 can be moved upwardly to the opened position as shown in the dotted lines in FIG. 5.
In a conventional video tape cartridge of the above type there is not provided a locking mechanism for locking the dust cover 16 in the closed position when in no use. Namely, conventionally, there is only provided a mechanism for locking the front lid 6 in the closed position when in no use by a locking member 70 and lock means including a spring member 71 exerting the front lid 6 toward the closed position by a spring member 13. Due to the absence of the locking mechanism of the dust cover, there is a possibility of undesired movement of the dust cover due to vibration applied to the case body or an undesired contact of the man's finger, resulting in making a gap g between the bottom end portions of the front lid 6 and the dust cover 16 where originally they should contact one another when the video tape cartridge is not in use, thereby allowing entering of dust or the like in the space between the front lid 6 and the dust cover 16 or if the recording tape is slacked, the recording tape 2 is protruded through the gap g, causing the recording tape to be injured.